


The Great Escape

by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)



Series: UshiOi Month [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Boys are Dumb but Grown Men Aren't Much Better, Extreme Team Bonding, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 21:50:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19484719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor/pseuds/Karasuno%20Volleygays
Summary: How did we end up being friends? That’s an interesting question. It took being trapped in a supply closet for an entire night before we started to see each other in a different light.





	The Great Escape

**Author's Note:**

> This one's for you, Valechan.

How did we end up being friends? That’s an interesting question.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Oikawa did not like me in the slightest all through school, and he was not particularly happy to see me in our pro team’s locker room on the first day of training camp. He gave me dirty looks whenever he thought I was watching. Well, I assume they were supposed to be dirty looks, since he was far more like a soggy kitten protecting its first dead rodent carcass. Full of spite? Yes. Threatening? Not in the least.

Having grown up quite a bit since being humbled in my last high school tournament, I understand why he never did like me. He had a much better eye for intangible qualities in his teammates that made them the absolute best they could be. 

My feelings hadn’t changed much since back then, with a healthy respect for Oikawa’s finer qualities as a player and a leader. It took being trapped in a supply closet for an entire night before we started to see each other in a different light.

(งಠ_ಠ)ง 

“This is your fault!” Oikawa hissed, dropping down petulantly onto a stack of boxes and crossing his arms. He stuck his nose in the air and huffed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, and if I weren’t annoyed by our teammates’ meddling, it would’ve been funny. 

But there we were, in the closest thing to ‘time out’ a grown man can get, sentenced to a night in a sweaty storage room until we managed to get along for more than five minutes at a time.

It didn’t do any good to protest me being trapped there, because I never had an issue getting along with Oikawa. Mostly, it was how Oikawa would act when I did something that made him angry — admittedly, which was a lot. 

Apparently, since we played together a lot, Oikawa’s problems were also my problems, so I got to eat from a bulk box of power bars instead of real food while enjoying the full force of Oikawa’s irritation.

We were supposed to ‘talk things out’, and I did not say a word until forced to respond. Somehow, that did not help my case. 

“So I’m not worth talking to now?” Oikawa extended a leg to land a rather sharp blow on my shin. “Bakawaka-chan.” 

I bristled at the name, since my elementary school classmates had not been very kind to me for being left handed and wanting to stay that way. That had been their insult of choice. There’s only so much of that I could ignore before it finally got to me.

Of course, he noticed immediately and latched onto it. 

“Ooh, did I hit a soft spot?”

“No,” I lied.

Oikawa brushed off my denial and leaned toward me, looking me over head to toe until I felt like he could see right through me. It was actually very uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to being the subordinate in a conversation, and whatever we were in this little closet, I was certainly not the one taking the lead.

“The corner of your eye twitches just a little when you hate something but don’t say it out loud.” Oikawa stood and studied me some more. I have to admit, it almost made me squirm. “And when you lie, you flex the fingers on your right hand.”

My eyes widened. _I_ didn’t even know I did that about me. How did he figure it out in under five minutes? To be honest, he was Oikawa. It was one of the things that had always made him special. It was why I had been disappointed to learn he was going to a different high school. I wasn’t aware of his ill will toward me or I wouldn’t have been so surprised, but he was easily the sharpest person I knew and wanted a part of that for myself.

At this point, I would’ve just settled for a cease fire, but I got a whole lot more than that.

While we were at a standoff, the crate of power bars sitting between us as well as a case of protein shakes, he just stared at me. Not like he were glaring (that was a given) or spacing out, but like he was trying to drill into my brain and see what was in there. If my mother were to be asked about that, she would have told you my head is full of volleyballs and iced coffee.

Suddenly, he stopped mid-bite and threw his half-eaten bar back into the box. “Ugh, now I feel bad.”

“What?”

He turned his head and grumbled, “People used to call you that a lot, didn’t they?”

I shrugged because I wasn’t sure what else to do. He wasn’t wrong, and apparently there was no way to successfully lie to him. “Here and there.”

“I thought so.” Oikawa listed forward on his hands and knees in front of me, and I jolted in surprise when he stuck his fingers in my hair. He brushed and pulled and tucked until he sat back with a nod of satisfaction. “This looks better on you.”

I gawked at that; how was I supposed to respond? However, he pulled out his phone and showed me through the forward facing camera what he was talking about. The hair framing my face (which I had fully intended to have cut on my next free day) was fluffed out for more volume, coming down to the sides of my cheeks. It was a haircut I would expect an eight year old to have, but Oikawa was so pleased with himself that I didn’t mention it. 

“Your hair is really soft.” Oikawa reached over to rearrange one final lock. “I figured it would be dry and brittle like the rest of you.”

“I do know how to bathe,” I snapped before I could stop myself. Our eyes met, and it was just a matter of time before he erupted with some laundry list of defects in my personality. I even braced myself for it.

But it never came. Instead, Oikawa covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a giggle. “I’ve never seen you flustered before. It’s actually hilarious.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.” I sighed because it was certainly the truth. “I assume you still hate me regardless.”

Oikawa scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue. “It isn’t like you didn’t earn it.”

“I’m aware.” And to be honest, I did. I wanted everyone and everything my way, regardless of what they thought about it. I felt like I had grown out of that, but it didn’t mean he was required to believe it. “I didn’t realize until later that your team certainly wasn’t weak. You brought out the best in them, and they helped bring out the best in you. Your captaincy at Aobajousai was admirable.”

Jaw slack, Oikawa gawked at me until I turned to rearrange a few spare floor mats until something resembling a bed. “I suggest we just pretend to get along to get out of here in the morning, and there’s no reason why we can’t steer clear of one another to keep this from happening again.” 

With that, I wadded up a jersey into a pillow and turned my back to him.

I could _feel_ him staring at me again. It almost made me itch, but I wasn’t about to relent. I wanted out of there and so did he, so I was going to do my part. That I couldn’t force him to do his was abundantly clear, so I put the ball into his court. 

“Break out of here with me,” Oikawa said suddenly, and that got my attention right away. 

“Kicking down doors only works in the movies.” I harrumphed at that thought, but the allure of a real meal and a proper bed was strong. “What did you have in mind?”

His grin didn’t give me a good feeling at all, but his plan did. Somewhat.

“Take off your pants,” Oikawa commanded. 

My hands were halfway to my fly before I stopped to ask, “Why?”

“I need the button.” Oikawa was on his hands and knees, looking at a ventilation shaft. “Hurry up. We don’t have all night.”

I snorted. “We actually do.” 

The sound of what could be loosely categorized as a joke made Oikawa jolt in surprise, bringing a teetering stack of boxes full of old sweats down on his head. Limbs flailed their way out, and Oikawa was definitely on the bedraggled side when he finally escaped. “You aren’t allowed to make jokes,” he whined. “It’s unnatural.”

“And I shouldn’t have to ruin a perfectly good pair of jeans just because you say so.” I crossed my arms and shook my head. “Not unless you tell me what you need it for.”

Oikawa pointed toward the vent cover. “I need a screwdriver to get the bolts out.”

I stared at him; what else was I supposed to do? “Are you serious?”

“Aren’t I always?”

“Not really.”

He pouted, and I sighed. “Why don’t you just use a coin? They’re not attached to anything.” In a fit of brazenness I don’t usually entertain, I whispered into his ear, “Unless you’re looking for an excuse to get my pants off.”

This time, Oikawa fell onto the boxes instead of the other way around. “Why would you say that!” He rubbed his ear and scrunched his face. “I’m never going to unhear that now.”

“Good.” I pulled a 100¥ coin from my pocket and flipped it his way. “You do that, I’ll make the rope.”

Armed with possibilities, we both set to work. One coin, a stubbed thumb, and a box full of outdated uniforms later, our escape was finally underway. Being the slenderest between the two of us, Oikawa was resigned to crawling into the shaft first to get intel about the layout. 

I probably shouldn’t have laughed when he returned from his scouting mission streaked with dirt from head to toe, but it was too late to take it back. Scowling the entire time, he used an old t-shirt to wipe away the dust smeared all over him. “You’re such a rude man, Ushiwaka.”

The lack of the nickname he had used before did not go unnoticed. “I don’t see why you’re bothering with that. You’re just going to get dirty again.”

“It’s the principle of the thing!” He threw the shirt at me and snared my makeshift rope. “Give me that. Of course you would be a giant oaf and not be able to do this.”

I didn’t take the bait and he almost looked disappointed as he crawled back into the vent. 

Twenty minutes later, the rope lowered and Oikawa knocked on the wall of the shaft three times, our predetermined signal to start the next phase. I tied the rope around my waist and started to climb. It was a tight fit and I did not like it in the least, but I managed to shimmy my way up one shaft and follow the rope until I saw Oikawa crouched in front of a vent cover. 

“It’s a long way down,” I said. “Be careful.”

“Don’t drop me. That wouldn’t be cute at all.”

“I won’t.” I looked over the cover before nodding. “It shouldn’t be too hard to kick this off.”

Oikawa sighed. “I don’t know if I can. I’m not even supposed to do too many squats in the weight room because of my knee.”

That was something I hadn’t considered, but it wasn’t about to deter our freedom. “Switch me places.”

“And just how am I —” He grumbled and said, “Fine. Lay down.”

Having an entire person pinning you to a dirty steel vent shaft is a very unpleasant experience. I’m not sure which part I hated the most: the knee to my crotch or the elbow in my eye.

Finally, however, we managed to swap places, and with a few bracing kicks, the vent cover came off and liberty was ours for the taking. Oikawa lay on his back, gripping the rope. “Go.”

My eyes fell on his wrapped knee, the ever present brace there to hold it together even away from the court. “Maybe you should go first. I’m probably too heavy.”

Challenge glittered in his eyes like the day of old. “Well, now I _have_ to do it.” He wound a few lengths of the rope around his own waist and planted his feet solidly on the floor of the shaft. “Now go so I can take the longest shower ever.”

It seemed like a good idea in theory, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it. It was easily a four or five meter drop from the vent to the hardwood floor. I was sure I could stick a landing, but Oikawa didn’t have that surety. Nonetheless, if I didn’t go he was going to kick me out, so away I went. 

I have no idea where he found the strength to hold my weight, but Oikawa managed to land me safely on the floor. Once down, I turned on my phone’s flashlight and propped it into place with the fallen vent cover, giving me just enough lighting so I could do my part.

“I’m ready.” I spread my feet apart and braced myself to absorb about eighty kilos of humanity falling from way overhead. Oikawa didn’t move, and maybe it was a trick of the shadows but I swear I saw him shudder. “Oh.”

“What if you drop me?” Oikawa poked his head out of the shaft and quickly withdrew the moment he looked straight down. “This was a terrible idea. Who came up with this?”

Raising a brow, I asked, “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“No!” Oikawa closed his eyes and took a dozen long deep breaths, and the tension in his shoulders started to ease somewhat. “I don’t like heights.”

“I can see that.” I moved closer to the wall and met his shaken gaze. “You’ll have to come out sometime. I won’t drop you.”

Oikawa started to get into position, but at the last minute, he cringed back into the safety of the shaft. “This is a really bad idea. I should just wait for maintenance to get me out in the morning.”

Looking up at him with every ounce of conviction in my body, I squared my shoulders and said, “Trust me. I’ll catch you.”

A war was clearly going on inside his head, but at last, he nodded and said, “Okay. I’m coming down.”

I could see his hands shaking as he curled up at the vent opening. He didn’t balk again, and bit by bit, he worked his way out until he fell from the shaft. 

This was the most important thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been to nationals, I’ve run a marathon, and I’ve even played for the national team. I’ve had several others’ volleyball fates in my hands before, but never their actual lives. If I didn’t deliver, Oikawa could be seriously injured or worse. That couldn’t happen. Not on my watch.

Right according to plan, Oikawa fell right into my arms, latching himself around my neck and torso as I swayed from the impact. I ended up on my bottom with what would definitely be a sore rump and there would probably be finger marks dug into my shoulders, but both of us made it.

Oikawa didn’t let go, still clinging to me while he shook, and I did something I have never done in my life — I wrapped my arms around him until the trembling stopped. “You’re all right.”

“That was terrible and I never want to do it again,” he moaned into my shirt. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Agreed.” The two of us didn’t even bother stopping in the locker rooms for our bags. Instead, we left through the fire exit and ran off into the night before anyone could spot us. It was nearly a kilometer before we jogged to a stop, winded from the sprint. 

Once we caught our breath, Oikawa and I looked at each other and laughed. “Looks like we can work together after all,” I said, hoping this truth would last past this one night.

“I think you’re right.” On cue, Oikawa’s stomach loudly protested. “Oh god I am so hungry.”

“Same.” I looked around, spotted a decent looking all-night diner, and pointed it out. “Shall we?”

Oikawa smiled. Not in his usual way where he looked like he knows something I didn’t, but a wide, beaming grin. He linked his arm with mine and nodded. “You’re buying, of course.”

For all of our struggles with getting along, just the fact that he was willing to spend time with me on purpose was worth the price of a dinner. Maybe I would make him smile again, and it was strange how much that idea pleased me.

We strolled arm in arm into the diner, and that was the next chapter in the odd saga that composed our hot and cold relationship. 

  



End file.
